Ankle braces and supports are designed to provide compression and support to mild to moderate ankle strains and sprains. These braces typically accommodate an ankle so that the wearer can continue with daily activities despite injury. Such braces may also be arranged to offer additional support in prevention or in post injury situations whether the brace is adapted for daily walking or participating in physical activities.
Many of these ankle braces provide only limited prevention of inversion (the foot rolling inward) and eversion (the foot rolling outward), which is the most commonly occurring type of ankle injury. Those designed to provide better inversion/eversion control often limit plantar flexion and dorsiflexion, which can make such braces uncomfortable to use and impractical for use during athletic or other events including higher activity levels. Further, typical ankle braces are not readily customizable and cannot be easily adjusted to accommodate wearers' preferences and/or activity levels.
There exists a need for improved orthopedic devices for controlling inversion/eversion of the foot that allow for normal plantar flexion/dorsiflexion and that are easily adjustable to accommodate individual preferences and/or activity levels.